In Manipur's cabinet reshuffle following political crisis, NPP's Joykumar Singh regains three previously-held portfolios

Imphal: Having overcome a political crisis following a patch-up with disgruntled ally NPP, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh has reallocated portfolios of ministers, shedding some of his own departments which have now been allocated to his deputy Y Joykumar Singh. The Deputy Chief Minister, who is from NPP, has got Finance, Science & Technology and Economics and Statistics portfolios, according to an official order issued by Chief Secretary J Suresh Babu. The chief minister retains Home, Personnel, Planning, General Administration Department, Vigilance, Transport, Minor Irrigation, Tourism and Minority Affairs. He will also hold Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Caste, Information Technology, Housing and Urban Development, Horticulture and Soil Conservation and any other departments not allocated specifically, the order issued late Sunday night added. Earlier, Joykumar Singh was divested of many portfolios and was left with only the charge of the civil aviation department. Trouble has started for the BJP-led coalition government in Manipur after the chief minister withdrew ll major portfolios from the his deputy for criticising him at a public function. It finally resulted in resignation of the four National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs from the ruling coalition in June. The rest three NPP ministers retain the departments they had before the resignation. With the return of the four NPP ministers, the BJP-led coalition has maintained the same set of ministers. The exercise also dashed hopes of some BJP legislators and Congress defectors of becoming ministers. Another ally - the Naga People’s Front (NPF) with four legislators in the 60-member House - which was demanding parity with NPP in the cabinet, also did not make any fresh gains. While NPP has four ministers, the NPF has two members in the cabinet. As per constitutional provisions, there can be a maximum of 12 ministers in the state, including the chief minister. Regarding three other NPP ministers in the government Irengbam Arunkumar, Media Advisor to the Chief Minister, told PTI Monday that the resignation letters submitted by four NPP ministers were never accepted, hence they would continue to hold the same portfolios they had earlier. Accordingly, Langpoklakpam Jayantakumar Singh retained Health and Family Welfare, Law and Legislative Affairs, Art and Culture and Command Area Development Authority; Letpao Haokip is minister for Water Resources, Youth Affairs and Sports and N Kayisii is minister for Tribal Affairs, Hill Areas Development and Fisheries, the Media Advisor to the CM said. The political drama in Manipur was triggered by the resignation of nine ruling coalition legislators, including four NPP ministers. Besides them, three BJP rebels, the lone All India Trinamool Congress legislator and an Independent MLA had quit the BJP-led coalition in Manipur on 17 June. Biren Singh survived the rebellion following intervention of Union Home minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda. Meghalaya chief minister and NPP national president Conrad Sangma and BJP’s key leader in the Northeast Himanta Biswa Sarma had also an played important role in bringing back the NPP leaders to the NDA fold.